el "early start" continues right now. >>> will they break the pledge? some republicans now seem open to the idea of raising taxes in the face of the fiscal cliff. >>> mystery in a west bank mausoleum. scientists taking a new look at yasser arafat's remains to see if he was poisoned. >>> and mightier than the sword, indeed. a poison pen found on a failed north korean assassin. cnn with an exclusive look. >>> good morning, and welcome to "early start" i'm deborah feyerick in for john berman. >> and i'm zoraida sambolin. 6:00 a.m. in the east here. first, congress back in session and already bickering. america heads down the fiscal cliff in exactly five weeks. take a look at the time line, triggering painful spending cuts and tax hikes. several leading republicans signaling that they're willing to break their new tax hike pledge to get a spending deal passed in time. but when the lame duck senate returned yesterday, it sure sounded like politics as usual. >> the senate has spoken. president obama has spoken. he's promised he will not sign any bill that mor